Westwood to coach JSW Sports football team

Bangalore, July 2 (IANS) JSW Sports has appointed former Manchester United player Ashley Westwood as coach of the club for the upcoming I-League season, it was announced here Tuesday.

Westwood was for a while manager of Kettering before partnering with Michael Appleton as his assistant manager at clubs, including Portsmouth, Blackpool and Blackburn.

With his reputation growing quickly in management, the 36-year-old Englishman will handle the reins at the Bangalore team that makes its I-League debut this year.

Parth Jindal, who looks into activities of the team from the family's side, said: "We are pleased to appoint Ashley Westwood as the head coach of the club. He is young, experienced and shares our vision and passion for the game. We believe he is the right man to take our club to where we want to see it."

Westwood said: "This was too exciting a prospect to turn down. I have been around for a fair bit of time on the English football scene and the chance to change things in this part of the world is a challenge I will relish."

A defender during his playing days, Westwood began his career as a trainee at Manchester United and was part of the FA Youth Cup winning side in 1995 before turning out for a host of clubs in a career that spanned a little less than two decades in England.

On his decision to join the Bangalore club, Westwood said: "I did my study and have no doubt about the company and its owners having vision. There is a genuine ambition to the whole project and I would love being able to leave my stamp on it."

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